Eggnog, that quintessential holiday libation, wasn't always made in a carton, of course. Here are five bits of trivia -- tidbits you probably didn't know about the creamy concoction.

1. Eggnog dates back to 14th-century England. It was called posset -- a sweetened mixture of curdled hot milk mixed with a sherry-like wine. Eggs came later.

2. It was American colonists who went all eggy with the drink, adding beaten eggs and quaffing the results in Jamestown, Va., as early as 1607, according to notes made by Capt. John Smith, of Pocahontas-rescue fame. Spiking eggnog with rum was a colonial idea, too.

3. Just tell yourself that drinking eggnog is patriotic. George Washington mixed rye, rum and sherry into his Mount Vernon recipe.

4. Eggnog was the cause of a major riot at West Point in 1826, after Col. Sylvanus Thayer banned booze at the military academy. Cadets, who had always enjoyed a little tipple during the holidays, rebelled by throwing the party to end all parties. The resulting Eggnog Riot -- a ruckus that involved 70 cadets, assaults and vandalism of the North Barracks -- ended in court-martial trials for 19 cadets and a soldier.

5. No one drinks posset anymore -- at least no one with a discriminating palate and hatred of curdled milk -- but there are plenty of variations on the eggnog theme, including the Tom and Jerry, a warm version of spiked eggnog that dates back to the 19th century, and Germany's Eierpunsch.